Active Party
by waftimah
Summary: A collection of short stories of different ratings and genres that focus on the game's main characters.
1. Where Did They Go?

Word Count: 365

Genre: Humor/Crack

Characters: Vaan, Penelo, Balthier, Fran

Warnings: Minor spoilers to up to Henne Mines

"Penelo," Vaan began as soon as they were alone; the others were sleeping already or off gathering supplies, "why was it so rude to ask Fran her age?"

She sighed, exasperated, and rolled over to face him. "You never ask a lady her age."

"I asked you and Ashe, and you two didn't get mad."

"Ashe _was_ mad, and we're much younger."

"Fran looks young."

"That doesn't mean she is, Vaan."

He stared at the fire, resigning himself to the fact that he would never find out. Suddenly, he asked, "Did you notice something else weird about them?"

"What?" Penelo asked, wondering if she would ever get any sleep.

"There weren't any boys."

"Why does that bother you? Maybe they were hiding deeper in the village. We didn't see any children, either."

Vaan placed a hand beneath his chin and used the other to poke the fire with a stick, staying quiet. After a moment, Penelo added, "And whatever you do, don't ask her about it, either."

"But I want to know."

"Understandable," Balthier said, coming from the darkness to lay some wood on the fire; it made a considerable number of sparks, and Vaan moved back. "I was curious myself when I first noticed it."

"So, where are they, then?" Vaan asked eagerly.

Balthier stoked the fire slightly more, then looked back at him. "There aren't any. The Viera don't have boys or children; they walk out from the wood fully grown."

"You mean grown women just walk out of a tree and into the village?" Vaan asked doubtfully.

"Don't believe Balthier." Fran approached the fire, laid down her bow, and sat next to the sky pirate. "He says that because the truth disturbs Humes."

Penelo waited quietly, and Vaan leaned forward. Fran continued, "Have you heard of a certain species of spiders, Vaan? After childbirth, the female eats the male."

Vaan's face faltered. Balthier remained somber, and Fran seemed entirely serious. "You're… joking, right?" he asked, looking from one to the other.

Balthier clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Here's another lesson, Vaan; sky pirates can never afford to be gullible."

On the other side of the fire, he could hear Penelo giggling.


	2. Not a Fairy Tale

Words: 172

Characters: Balthier

Genre: Drama

Balthier didn't spend too much time questioning his relationship with Fran, or her causes for being in their partnership. As a sky pirate, you were glad for what came your way; easy come, easy go, and it wouldn't do much good to speculate over what you might lose at any moment. Of course, he didn't think of Fran that way, but it was still a good policy to live by.

That was before they got caught up in this whole business. Saving the world, or something like it. Clearly the leading man and his partner couldn't die, but things were beginning to look a little grim occasionally. That led him to wonder, sometimes, about her reasons…

All along, they had been running from their separate pasts together. Maybe now they were facing them together.

But as soon as that thought crossed his mind, he gave a mental snort and dismissed it. Far too melodramatic for him. Obviously, he was spending too much time around magic swords and princesses.


	3. Personally, I'd Choose Larsa

Word Count: 87

Genre: Romance/Fluff

Characters: Vaan, Penelo

Warnings: Vaguely after-series

"Larsa is practically a grown-up now, isn't he?" Vaan idly asked one day, working on the airship.

"I suppose so," Penelo replied, handing him a wrench.

"You used to be really close," he said, concentrating on his work.

"We still write letters," she said, waiting to see if he needed anything else.

"Oh." he said quietly. "Penelo, I-"

She kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry," she said, smiling. "I'll always choose pirates over princes."


	4. Strength

Word Count: 172

Genre: Drama

Characters: Balthier

Note: Hey, sorry for the delay - I'm starting classes, moving into the dorms, all that stuff that drives authors away from writing. I've also ran out of pre-written chapters, so I'm afraid updates will be more infrequent. Still, if there's continued interest in this fic, I'll try to keep it going on a somewhat normal schedule. (I'm also up for ideas/suggestions/requests :). )

There are some things in this world you can run from, some you have no choice but to meet, and others for which you can unfortunately do neither.

Running was easy. Why, there were some women Balthier had successfully eluded for years. Authority was easy to run from as well, and he was quite confident in the Strahl's ability to be faster than any competition.

The past, on the other hand, was something you had to come to terms with. Running had worked for a great deal of time, and he couldn't say he regretted living the life of a sky pirate. But when the chips fell, his previous time as a judge couldn't be ignored.

It's the situations where neither option present itself that are the worst, simply because you don't have much choice in the matter. After the Ridorana Cataract, Balthier lamented the death of (what was left of) his father; however, he didn't fool himself into believing he could have somehow changed it with any method he knew.


	5. If You Kidnap Enough of Them

"Ashe has a good reason to be grumpy, Vaan. Her country is being controlled by Vayne, and most people she knew must have died in the war…" Penelo said.

"Hey, my country too. _I_ don't keep my nose in the air all the time. Plus we're just trying to help. She could talk to us sometimes and it wouldn't hurt anything."

"If I remember correctly," Balthier said, sounding bored, "she also lost her husband, did she not? Rare for a princess of a country such as Dalmasca to find someone to marry, much less to actually care for."

Penelo asked curiously, "Do sky pirates normally know about marriages between the nobility?"

Balthier shrugged. "Most princesses have few topics to complain about."


End file.
